


Hidden Memories

by Clexa15



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Feelings Realization, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Slow Burn, Violence, catradora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24399925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clexa15/pseuds/Clexa15
Summary: She finally had Adora. She-Ra’s sword. Adora made it almost too easy for Catra to capture her and return her to the Fright Zone. To Lord Hordak. Catra’s plans were finally being set into motion.At least until Hordak revealed plans of his own. Ones that involved Adora…She-Ra.And not Catra.This wasn’t what Catra had wanted. She never wanted Adora to forget her, to be wiped from her memories completely. But she was no match for Hordak and the entire Horde army on her own. She was no match for She-Ra.Catra would soon find herself looking for help in the one place she thought she hated most.The Rebellion.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista & Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 90
Kudos: 235





	1. Not What She Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! So this is my first go at writing for She-Ra/Catradora. It's been a long while since I've been inspired to actually write something. And a VERY long time since I've written for a fandom that isn't Clexa. So, please be gentle. Constructive criticism is welcomed! But please enjoy! 
> 
> **A few notes before you start reading!**  
> This is set in season one, specifically episode 11, Promise. I've changed it up a bit! You'll see once you've started reading! :) The very first part of the first chapter is taken right from the episode! That portion is not mine! Also one other small detail is that Lord Hordak was aware of Entrapta being in the Horde before Catra started interrogating her in the actual episode. Here, Hordak does not know she is there until Catra mentions her to him. One again, you'll see! If there's any questions about any other small details I may have forgotten to mention please feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer as quick as I'm able!
> 
> Enjoy!!
> 
> **This is rated for general audiences right now. Depending on future chapters it may or may not change!**

_ “Catra?” _

_ Young Adora walked through the entrance of the Horde’s sleeping quarters, spotting a crying form covered in a navy blue blanket. She quickly walked over to her best friend and began to pull the blankets away from the small furry form. Catra was quick to let out a hiss as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light assaulting her eyes and revealing someone kneeling in front of her.  _

_ “Catra, it’s okay. It’s just me,” Young Adora said as she sat next to the teary eyed girl,“It doesn’t matter what they do to us. You know? You look out for me, I look out for you. Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other.” _

_ Catra stared at Adora, her one true friend out of everyone in the Horde. _

_ “You promise?” _

_ Adora put her hand over Catra’s knee,“I promise.” _

_ Catra quickly put her head against Adora’s shoulder and placed her small hand against her chest just above her heart. No one would take Adora away from her. Not her best friend. _

_ “Come on. Let’s go back out.” _

_ Adora stood, Catra following her without hesitation, and wrapped her arm around her friend and began to lead them back into the corridor so they could continue running around like they always did during their free-time.  _

* * *

“You promise?” 

Catra found herself repeating the words her younger self had asked her then best friend as she watched the simulation play right in front of her. If only she had known what would follow in her coming years. Maybe then she wouldn’t have asked Adora to promise her something she knew would be broken in the end.

Adora left her. 

_ Alone.  _

She hadn’t looked out for Catra like she had promised. If she had then she’d still be right next to her. Still staying with her at the Horde where they belonged together. 

But Adora  _ left her _ . 

Catra stood quietly, tail limp behind her, as she watched her younger self and Adora begin to leave the sleeping quarters. Just before Catra’s younger self reached the door to leave she turned around and made eye contact with Catra. She looked down at her smaller self, mouth parting open in a slight frown. Her eyebrow furrowed together causing a worried crease between them. Her younger self said nothing, just stood and stared at her, and Catra wondered if this was the First Ones tech messing with her in some way. 

It was only a few milliseconds later that young Catra turned around without so much as a sound and began walking after Adora. Catra watched until she could no longer see her former self. Her mismatched eyes hardened, an angry growl escaping her throat as the simulation turned to darkness around her. 

**_Adora. Left. Her._ **

Catra stormed through the darkness, her anger continually rising with each step. The simulations - _ memories _ \- meant nothing to her now. They were the past. A past that was full of lies. Everyone always seemed to leave her. Adora was no exception. She was not about to let the images of her younger self and Adora change that fact. Catra let the hatred fester in her mind as she followed the sounds of Adora fighting what she could only assume were the giant robotic spiders that had been hunting them down. 

She stomped into the large dome like room just in time to see Adora being held over a dark trench by the spiders. Catra watched as Adora called out for Light Hope before kicking herself free of the green spiderweb substance holding her to the leg of the robotic spider and falling right into the trench. 

Catra scoffed. 

“ _ Good riddance,”  _ She thought.

But Catra knew Adora didn’t give up that easily. Adora wouldn’t purposely make herself fall into the darkness unless she was sure she could save herself or survive the fall. 

Catra could easily spot She-Ra’s sword covered in green spiderwebs just at the edge of the trench. She knew she needed to get to it before Adora somehow magically reappeared from the edge and transformed. As fierce as Catra was she knew even she wouldn’t be able to fight She-Ra’s strength on her own. 

She needed Adora. 

Catra would succeed in her own mission to bring Adora to Lord Hordak. 

No matter what it took. 

Catra crouched down to the balls of her feet, her tail swishing silently behind her, ready to pounce. She waited only a moment's breath before flinging herself to the nearest metal spider. Her claws pierced the red glass eyes, pulling wires free and watching the sparks fly and the power left it’s form. She continued leaping from robot to robot, taking some of her anger out on the metal creatures. It wasn’t until the last one crashed behind her that she finally closed her eyes and let herself take a calming breath. 

But it was interrupted by an unwelcome voice.

“Catra?”

Catra cleared her emotions from her face, letting herself devoid her mind of any thoughts that might stop her from doing what she was about to do. She slowly stalked to the edge, leaning down to grab She-Ra’s sword from the ground. Catra finally made it to the edge of the trench where she could see Adora hanging by only a handful of green web. Her ex-best friend smiled gratefully at her and Catra had to force herself not to roll her eyes. 

“Hey, Adora,” Catra mumbled as she ran a claw along the blade of the sword. 

“Catra, help me. Please.”

“This thing wouldn’t word for me if I tried, would it? It only works for you,” Catra swung the sword out, her other hand finding purchase on her hip,“Then again, you’re special. That’s what Shadow Weaver always said.”

Adora’s eye burned with fire,“Catra, what are you doing?”

Catra slowly turned her back to Adora and began walking away from the edge. 

“Ah, you know, it all makes sense now.You’ve always been the one holding me back. You wanted me to think I needed you. You wanted me to feel weak.”

Catra reappeared at the edge to see Adora staring up at her with hardened confusion in her eyes.

“Every hero needs a sidekick, right?”

“Catra, no, that’s not how it was,” Adora shook her head. 

Catra laughed at her words as she kneeled down to where Adora hung. 

“The sad thing is, I’ve spent all this time hoping you’d come back to the Horde, when really you leaving was the best thing that _ ever  _ happened to me.”

Adora let out a small gasp, eyes shimmering with sadness. 

“I am so much stronger than anyone ever thought,” Catra growled out as she began cutting the web that Adora clung to,“I wonder what I could’ve been if I’d gotten rid of you sooner.”

Adora shrieked as part of the web snapped, making her slip a few inches. 

“I’m sorry. I never meant to make you feel like you were second best. Please don’t do this.”

Catra stared down at the girl she’d come to hate. Her misty eyes stirred something deep within her. Something she’d forced down since the day Adora left her. 

_ No. She would not let her feelings get in the way of this. She needed Adora. No matter how much she wanted to just let her fall…along with her feelings.  _

Catra leaned down once more to the edge and watched as beads of sweat formed along Adora’s brow. She moved the sword right above the remaining web, watching as Adora’s fingers flexed to adjust her grip as if it would keep her from falling should she cut it. 

“You chose your fate the moment you decided to leave the Horde, Adora,” Catra growled out as she cut the web. 

Adora’s scream filled her ears. 

But it only lasted a moment. 

Catra watched as Adora’s eyes shot up to where their hands were now connected. 

“Catra. I thought—. But you…,” Adora couldn’t form words, whether it be from the fear of her almost falling or the confusion from Catra’s actions. 

“Oh, Adora. I have my reasons for not letting you fall,” Catra dug her nails into Adora’s pale skin watching the blood run down her wrist from the puncture wounds,“I need you. You’re going to get me what I want.”

Adora’s mouth dropped open as if to ask her what she meant but Catra gave her no time. She pulled Adora up and slammed the handle of the sword into the back of her skull rendering her unconscious. Catra smirked at the limp body at her feet. Now all she needed to do was get her back to the Fright Zone. Back to Lord Hordak. 

Things were finally starting to look up for Catra. 

* * *

Catra felt her stomach flop in unease as she entered Hordak’s sanctum. The same unease she used to feel as a child when Lord Hordak’s name was so much as uttered around her. 

But she shoved the feeling aside. 

She was here, successful now, with an all powerful weapon just waiting outside the door behind her.s 

Catra’s bare feet padded across the cool metal floor, stopping just shy of the steps that lead to Hordak’s throne. Lord Hordak’s glowing red eyes peered down upon her and tilted his head to the side, his little dragon-like minion mirroring his movements. 

“Force Captain Catra,” Hordak drawled out,“I was somewhat surprised when your return from your mission, whatever it was that was so important, was announced so soon. Tell me, was your mission a success…or a failure?”

Any lingering traces of Catra’s unease completely vanished from her being. Her mission was much more of a success than Hordak knew. She couldn’t wait to wipe the self righteous smirk from his face when her real prize was revealed. 

Catra kneeled low, head bowed, as she held her arms out. Her hands unfolded to reveal the pink diamond shaped crystal that she had taken from the First One’s ruin. Catra looked up through her lashes to see Hordak’s eyes twist in confusion. 

“This,” Hordak spat with a wave towards the crystal,”Is what your ‘important’ mission was about? A…shiny piece of crystal? Do explain to me why this was so important that you had to leave in the middle of planning our attack on the rebellion?” 

The Force Captain’s tail flicked back and forth as she stood to her full height and gripped the crystal tightly in her fist. 

“During the rebellion’s last invasion on the Fright Zone they left behind a…very important package,” Catra purred. 

“A package?” Hordak inquired. 

Catra let a dark laugh pass through her lips. 

_ “A princess.”  _

Hordak and his little winged minion straighten their posture, suddenly very interested in the young feline’s information.

“A princess? What does this have to do with your mission to get that crystal? Explain.  _ Now _ ,” Hordak demanded. 

Catra began to slowly ascend the stairs to Hordak’s throne as she tossed the crystal from hand to hand. 

“During the invasion a certain princess got left behind. One that just so happens to excel in science and… _ weapons _ .”

Hordak’s red eyes widened momentarily, all his attention now drawn to Catra’s words.

“Scorpia and I happened to come across this princess, Entrapta, and while interrogating her we discovered that the rebellion left her behind, left her to die here at the hands of the Horde. We were able to make her realize that we could put her abilities to much better use than the rebellion ever could. After that Entrapta gave me a map to the location of some First One’s tech that would help her to better advance our bots once she was able to… _ study  _ it.”

By the time Catra had finished her explanation she had reached the top of the stairs and now stood directly in front of Hordak’s throne. Hordak’s little minion perched itself on the edge of the throne’s arm, eyeing Catra with it’s blank eyes. Hordak rubbed the top of his minion’s head causing a mewl of enjoyment to slip past it’s lips. 

“You believe you can trust this  _ princess _ to work on our bots with this ‘First One’s’ tech? How are we not to know that she isn’t just a spy left here by the rebellion to tinker with our machines and destroy us from the inside out?”

Catra stifled a full blown laugh behind her hand,“Entrapta, no offense to her, is the last person the rebellion would leave as a  _ spy _ . She may have the greatest brain in all of Etheria but she has an attention span of a child.  _ If _ , and I highly doubt that she is, she was a spy Entrapta would be the easiest to take out. I will take full responsibility if she is.”

“You take responsibility? My, she must be highly valuable in your plans for you to take responsibility for her and her actions,  _ Catra _ .”

“She is not the only one who is highly valuable in my plans, Lord Hordak,” Catra smirked,“In addition to Entrapta and the First One’s tech I’ve brought one more very  _ special  _ contribution that I hope will set myself well into my plans.” 

Catra snapped her fingers and only moments after the door to Hordak’s sanctum slid open. Rogelio stepped through, pushing a metal gurney in front of him. Strapped down to said gurney was a still unconscious Adora. She groaned deeply in her sleep as the gurney shook, her body feeling the effects of Catra’s assault to her head. Lonnie followed swiftly behind Rogelio, hands occupied by the weight of She-Ra’s sword. They closed the distance between the door and Lord Hordak’s throne swiftly, knowing that there was no room for dawdling. 

Catra watched with great interest, and a self satisfied smirk, as Hordak’s face twisted with pleasure at what was shown before him. Rogelio and Lonnie wasted no time in bowing before their Lord and Force Captain. Lonnie held She-Ra’s sword extended out above her head and Catra knew this was the moment she had waited for since Adora had abandoned her. 

Catra stalked down the stairs and didn’t hesitate to snatch the sword from her subordinate’s hands. She admired the green glow bouncing off the sword from the lights for a few moments before once again making her way back to the top of the stairs. Catra kneeled once more, this time at the helm of Lord Hordak’s feet, and presented him with She-Ra’s sword. Even though her head was bowed and she could no longer see him Catra could feel Hordak’s presence shift as he stood and moved towards her. 

She felt the weight of the sword leave her hands as he took it in his own grasp and Catra allowed herself the moment to stare up at her Lord. She watched as he tested the weight in his hands, studying the blade and its hilt. 

“Force Captain Catra,” Hordak bellowed as he swung the sword slowly in his hands,“You have accomplished a great deal in such a small amount of time. I may have underestimated your abilities.” 

_ This. _

This is what Catra had waited for. Had worked for. The recognition. The praise. She had finally done something worthwhile and on her  _ own.  _ She no longer hid behind anyone’s shadow. 

_ It was all her.  _

But there was still one more thing she wanted. 

Catra kept quiet though. She knew when to speak and when not to. Plus she would not beg for the greatest thing she wanted, no matter how much she wanted it. 

Lord Hordak returned to his throne, setting the sword across his knees and gliding his hands across the blade. His little winged minion curiously inspected the sword from its’ perch on the throne’s arm. Catra watched on with impatience. She had given Hordak more in these past few minutes than she had in her entire life and all he could do was admire the sword. 

But still she would not beg. 

She would wait for her moment to come of its’ own accord. 

“Rogelio you are dismissed,” Hordak waved him away before turning his eyes to Lonnie,“ _ You _ …strap Adora to the table over there and bring me Shadow Weaver.”

Catra’s mismatched eyes scrunched in confusion.

“Why do you need Shadow Weaver?”

Hordak stood once again, ignoring Catra’s question, and watched as Lonnie moved Adora from the gurney to the metal table in the center of his sanctum. Catra eyed him suspiciously. Her mind began wondering exactly what he planned to do with Adora…and then bringing in Shadow Weaver? Just what was he planning?

Catra internally scoffed as she caught that deep feeling inside of her trying to rise to the surface. What did it matter what Hordak planned to do with Adora? She brought Adora to him. It wasn’t like she was concerned what happened to her. 

_ That’s a lie and you know it.  _

Catra shook her head, ears twitching at the sound of her own voice in the back of her mind. 

No. She did not care what Hordak planned to do with her ex-best friend. This is why Catra took Adora back to the Horde leader. She was the ultimate object in Catra getting what she truly wanted. She would not let herself ruin this with tedious thoughts of concern for Adora. If she was concerned she never would’ve returned to the Fright Zone with her. 

_ Lies. You know you’re regretting your decision.  _

A deep rumble stirred in Catra’s chest. The inner conflict in the back of her mind rising to the forefront. Catra smacked a hand to the side of her head trying to force the thoughts away. 

She would  _ not  _ ruin this for herself. 

_ But this isn’t what you truly want and you know it.  _

Catra had been so busy trying to keep her own rampant thoughts at bay that she hadn’t realized that Lonnie had left a handful of minutes ago to fetch Shadow Weaver. It wasn’t until she heard the deep rumble of Shadow Weaver’s voice that she realized how much time she’d been standing in the same position.

“You called for me, Lord Hordak?” Shadow Weaver spoke as she bowed. 

Lord Hordak had moved from his position during Catra’s inner turmoil and now stood beside the table where Adora was strapped down and barely clinging to unconsciousness. Hordak ran a sharp claw along Adora’s jaw, red eyes tracing over her twitching face. 

“Shadow Weaver, I require your assistance. As you can see, Force Captain Catra has returned our dear Adora to us. Along with She-Ra’s sword.”

Hordak swung the sword low in front of him and walked around the table as it began to lift Adora until she was vertical with the floor. Her head did not fall forward, signaling that she was at least close to waking up. Catra began to approach them, no longer willing to keep her distance. She fully intended to make sure both of them knew she was still present. And if Adora was waking up Catra wanted to make sure she was one of the first faces Adora saw when she awoke. 

As Catra stopped just behind where Shadow Weaver stood Hordak stopped his walk around the table. With a gasp barely contained behind her lips, Catra had to stop herself from unconsciously lurching forward when Hordak raised the sword to Adora’s neck. 

“My first thought when Catra revealed Adora to me was to punish her for abandoning the Horde for the rebellion,” Hordak billowed as he carefully ran the cool metal of the sword against Adora’s neck,“But when she approached me with the sword I had a much… _ grander  _ idea.”

Shadow Weaver took a step forward, hands clasped together in front of her,“Whatever you need from me, Lord Hordak. I am willing to help in any way.”

Catra watched with bated breath. This didn’t seem to be going in the direction she foresaw. She expected Hordak to throw Adora in the Horde prison, punish her for her crimes. But the way he was smirking as he held the sword to a slowly awakening Adora’s neck made her realize that wasn’t about to happen. 

“I want you to wipe her mind.”

Both Shadow Weaver and Catra couldn’t stop the tiny, shocked gasps that left them. Catra eyed Shadow Weaver’s back suspiciously. From what she had overheard by eavesdropping during the rebellion’s invasion of the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver had fully intended to wipe Adora’s mind of her own accord. Why would she be shocked that Hordak wanted to do what she herself had tried to accomplish not even a few days ago?

Adora groaned deeply, eyebrows furrowing as she began to finally wake up. Catra held her breath as the shimmering blue of Adora’s eyes finally peeked from behind closed eyelids. 

“Uh, wh-where am I?”

Hordak moved the sword below Adora’s chin, lifting it so her bleary eyes could focus on his face. 

“You’re back in the Fright Zone,  _ Adora _ . Right where you belong. Where you’ve always belonged. And with the help of Shadow Weaver you’re about to help us conquer all of Etheria.” 

Adora blinked away the haziness that still covered her eyes,“W-what are you going on about? I’ll n-never help you take Etheria.” 

“Maybe not on your own accord,” Hordak laughed,“But with the help of Shadow Weaver you will become ours again.”

Catra watched Adora test the strength of the straps that helped her down, her blue eyes moving along the sword that rested under her chin. She knew that Adora was trying to plan her escape. Trying to figure out a way to get her hands back on her sword. But as Hordak himself noticed the way Adora’s eyes glazed at the sword he snatched it back and away from her person.

“Trying to figure out a way to escape is futile, Adora. No one will be here to help rescue you…at least not before my plans have begun running their course,” Hordak smirked,“Shadow Weaver, as I was saying before our dear Adora awoke, I want you to wipe her mind.”

That caused Adora to begin thrashing on the table, trying her best to free herself.

“No!”

Catra had to stop  _ herself  _ yelling out with Adora. This… _ this  _ was not part of her plan. She wanted Adora to remember what she had done to Catra. How she had left her. Abandoned her. Catra wanted Adora to remember how much she despised her. 

_ No, you want her to remember how much you  _ **_care_ ** _ for her. How much you  _ **_need_ ** _ her.  _

Catra’s tail lashed behind her. Not these thoughts again.  **No.** She wanted Adora to remember how Catra succeeded without her. How she got to the top on her own. No longer in Adora’s shadow. That is what she wanted her to remember. 

_ Keep telling yourself that.  _

Lord Hordak slowly stalked towards where Shadow Weaver stood, ignoring Adora’s cries behind me. 

“You will remove all memories of the rebellion, yourself… _ Catra.  _ But you will leave,  _ change  _ even, a few little details. Adora will still remember  _ She-Ra _ but in a completely different light.”

Adora’s gasp could be heard behind him,“ _ What? _ ”

Hordak circled around Shadow Weaver, eyeing her form for any sort of resistance. 

“The change you will make…Adora will remember the sword as being received from myself. She will only know She-Ra as someone who serves the Horde,  **_myself_ ** . No one else. Her memories will be filled with her learning to use her powers here within the Fright Zone. I want no memories of the  _ princesses  _ left behind. I want her to remember nothing but her hatred for them. Do I make myself clear, Shadow Weaver?”

Catra would swear that she saw hesitance move along Shadow Weaver’s back before she bowed to him. 

“Yes, Lord Hordak. As you wish. She will know nothing but serving for the Horde…for you my Lord.” 

Catra wanted to scream as Shadow Weaver made her way over to a crying and thrashing Adora. 

_ No! This is not what you wanted! This is  _ **_wrong!_ **

Catra was overwhelmed. This  _ isn’t  _ what she wanted. She didn’t want Adora to  _ forget _ . No. She wanted her to remember. She wanted her to remember everything she’d ever done to Catra. 

**_This isn’t what she wanted._ **

A nervous sweat broke out along Catra’s brow as she listened to Adora’s screams for Shadow Weaver to stay away. She couldn’t do this. She would  _ not  _ let  _ this  _ happen. 

“Wait! You can’t do this to her! This isn’t what I wanted to happen!” Catra yelped out as she tried to move towards Adora. 

But she was stopped by two pairs of hands pinning her arms behind her back. Catra growled as two of Hordak’s guards cuffed her hands behind her. 

_ What is going on? _

Hordak let out a deep, dark laugh as he walked towards Catra. 

“You really think I didn’t know you would try and stop me from wiping Adora’s memories? I knew the moment I saw your face when I mentioned it that you would do anything to stop me.”

Hordak pointed the edge of She-Ra’s sword to her neck.

“I know how much your  _ dear  _ Adora means to you. You grew up together. Despite your decision to bring her back to me, you and I both know it was not for my gain, but for  _ yours.  _ You would finally have Adora here with you. Maybe not at your side but here nonetheless. No longer running around with the rebellion.”

Catra let a low growl rumble in her chest. Hordak smirked and moved from her line of sight to reveal Shadow Weaver’s hands reaching for Adora. 

“You wanted her to see how you could succeed without being in her shadow. That’s why you wanted her out of the way but  _ this  _ is not ultimately what you wanted,” Hordak’s voice dropped low and he moved himself to be right next to Catra’s ear,“Because we both know in the end, all you still would want… _ is her _ . You did not want her memories wiped. Then she would never remember you. What she did to you. You wanted to watch her realize what you could become without her.” 

A haunting laugh left Hordak’s lips. 

“You wanted to be my second in command, is that right  _ Catra _ ?”

Catra knew Lord Hordak didn’t need her confirmation. If he asked, he already knew. 

“Yes, that’s what you wanted, or at least what you made yourself think you wanted, all along. But, we know it would never be enough. Not without  _ her _ .” 

Adora’s screams pierced her ears as Shadow Weaver’s dark magic crackled around her in the form of red lightning. Catra’s ears flattened to her head, the sound like needles to her brain. 

“No! Shadow Weaver, you can’t do this!”

Hordak swung She-Ra’s sword back to her neck, barely stopping before it cut into her fur. 

“You will not get what you desire, Catra. I no longer will need a second with  _ She-Ra _ at my helm. Your position, and  _ Adora _ , will no longer be yours. I have no need of you as long as I have  _ her _ .” 

Hordak smiled sinisterly.

“Your very own plans have backfired on you. Nothing will be as you planned. Your future will be spent  _ alone _ .”

Catra began to fight against the guards as they tried to pull her away. Hordak sparred her no second glance as he turned to watch Shadow Weaver continue to work. Adora’s screams had long since stopped, the pain being too great to deal with, and now her body could only produce the tiniest of groans.

Catra slammed her body into one of the guards, loosening his grip long enough for her to just barely break free and start running towards Adora. 

“You have to stop this, Shadow Weaver!” Catra yelled before she was tackled by the guards. 

Her cuffed hands made it nearly impossible to fight back once she was pinned down. Shadow Weaver glanced momentarily over her shoulder at her young ward before turning back to Adora. 

“It’s already done.” 

Catra yelled as red lightning burst around Adora’s entire being. Adora’s body spasmed, her eyes flashing open in immense pain as she let out one final scream. Catra tried to look away but when Adora’s eyes met her own she couldn’t help but to stare. 

“ _ Catra…” _

Tears sprung to her eyes as Adora uttered her name one last time before falling limp. Hordak’s evil snicker filled Catra’s ears and she couldn’t stop the vicious growl that escaped her lips. 

“You’ll regret this.” 

Hordak snapped his fingers, two more guards securing and cuffing a very still Shadow Weaver, before he acknowledged Catra’s threat. 

“No, my dear, it is  _ you _ who will regret this day. Not I.”

Hordak stepped over to Shadow Weaver who was forcefully kneeled to the ground by her guards. 

“And I will make sure no one stands in the way of my conquering Etheria.”

Shadow Weaver looked up at Hordak, not fighting against her guards as they held her. Hordak lifted a clawed hand above his head, glowing red eyes pinning Shadow Weaver in her place. 

“ **_No one.”_ **

Catra yelled as Hordak swung his hand down but never got to see it strike as her guards struck her with a shock baton. The last thing Catra could hear as she faded into darkness was the sound of Shadow Weavers screams. 

_ What have I done? _


	2. Adora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra comes face to face with Adora. And gets a little help from some unexpected people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took me a little less than a week to write and I'm not sure if I'm happy with it's outcome or not but I literally can't get my brain to write it any other way. So I hope you all enjoy it anyway! It's a bit fast paced but that's how I wanted it because I want to get the ball rolling on everything! 
> 
> But read, enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments!

_ What did you do, Catra? You ruined everything. Adora…Adora doesn’t remember you anymore.  _

Catra stared blankly at her shackled hands, the green illuminated cords keeping her tethered to the wall. She was unable to reach the glowing green door of her cell, unable to reach the tray stocked with a brown ration bar and a cup of water. 

Like she could eat it anyway. 

Not after everything she’s caused. 

When she awoke, unsure of just how long she’d been unconscious, on the cold metal floor of her cell Catra could still hear Adora’s screams ringing in her ears. Even now she could still hear it. It made her ears pin permanently to the sides of her head. 

Adora wouldn’t remember her. 

Hordak has Adora —has  _ She-Ra _ — in the palm of his hand to do with as he pleased. 

**He has Adora.**

Catra slammed her eyes shut, tears slipping past their corners as she covered her ears with her hands. She folded in on herself, trying to make herself as small as possible in the dark musty cell. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Adora was supposed to be sitting here. Still remembering her. Still trying to get Catra to join her and the rebellion every chance she got. Catra was supposed to be Hordak’s second. Shadow Weaver should be in her own cell, but now she…Catra didn’t know what had happened to her. 

_ You ruined everything. You always do. And now Adora doesn’t remember you.  _

More tears poured down Catra’s eyes. She never thought she’d admit it but…she should’ve listened to Adora. She should have followed her when she left. It didn’t make up for the fact that Adora still left…but Catra _ should’ve gone with her _ . 

Maybe then Adora would still remember her. Maybe things would be completely different. 

Catra’s inner turmoil was interrupted by the glowing green door of her cell disappearing and the sound of feet stepping barely into the entrance of her cell. She hadn’t heard anyone approach but that was probably because of the screams that still filled her ears among her raging thoughts. But it didn’t matter to her. Catra had no desire to open her eyes and look at the person who stood in her cell. 

At least not until that person spoke. 

“On your feet, prisoner.”

Adora’s voice was like a million knives shoving themselves into her ears. Catra jumped up faster than she ever thought possible, her breath catching in her lungs as her eyes met Adora’s still form in front of her. 

“A-Adora,” Catra stammered out as she took a step forward,“You…do you remember me?”

Adora’s blue eyes narrowed, her stance widening slightly like she was getting ready to defend herself. 

“I don’t know how you know my name or who you are but Lord Hordak has commanded that you be put on the next transport to Beast Island and that I personally see to it that you make it there. Now, step forward and hold out your hands.” 

It felt like ice flooded Catra’s veins. Her head spun and more tears slipped down her face. Her breath caught in her throat, not able to make it past the ball of pain that weld there. A piercing pain ripped through Catra’s chest and it took everything in her to stop herself from crashing to the floor of her cell. 

“You don’t…y-you really don’t remember me. W-what did I do?”

Adora huffed quietly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not going to tell you again, step forward and hold out your hands.”

Catra’s feet were filled with lead, completely numb and unable to move. All she could do was stare at Adora through blurry eyes as her fingers ached to reach out to her. Catra wasn’t surprised when Adora lost her patience waiting for her and stepped further in the cell towards her. The feline didn’t have it in her to fight as Adora locked a new set of cuffs around her wrists and unlocked the other that kept her tied to the wall.

Adora grabbed her arm and roughly shoved Catra ahead of her.The numbness in her feet made her stumble, almost falling face first onto the cell floor. Once she regained her balance Catra looked over her shoulder to see Adora taking the shock baton from her belt and pointing it towards her back. 

“Walk,” Adora growled. 

Catra had a split second to realize a few things. 

Adora was not She-Ra right now. Catra had been so shocked to see Adora standing in her cell that it had taken her until just now to realize that fact. With Adora being just her normal Etherian self Catra had a better chance of taking her down and possibly escaping. She knew Adora’s weaknesses well enough that she stood a fair chance of making it out barely unscathed. 

The other realization was that more often than not, the transport to Beast Island only had one or two other prisoners aboard as well as the helmsman. The ship would be easy to capture if she could take Adora out long enough to rid it of the helmsman and get it going on her own. And Catra didn’t care enough about the other prisoners that could possibly be on board to be worried about them messing up her plan. She could take them. 

Catra just needed to get the ship and get as far away from the Fright Zone as possible and just hope Lord Hordak didn’t think she was worth coming after. If she could get the ship Catra would hopefully be able to make her way to Bright Moon. Though it sounded like an awful plan in her head Catra had been studying maps to Bright Moon long enough to be able to sail her way there. Plus, the rebellion Queen was in Bright Moon. As well was Sparkles and Arrow Boy. Catra knew that even if they locked her up, or whatever they would do to her, that if she was able to tell them of what had become of Adora they may make a decision to try and save her. 

_ But how can you save someone who doesn’t even remember the people they once knew? Who doesn’t even remember who they themselves really were? And why would the rebellion want to save Adora now that she is on the Horde’s side?  _

“She’s not on the Horde’s side,” Catra muttered under her breath to herself,“She’s being controlled by Lord Hordak.”

Catra was shoved forward by Adora pushing the end of her shock baton into her back. 

“Stop mumbling and start walking.”

Catra deeply sighed, facing forward once more and glancing around the opening of her cell. 

_ Here goes nothing. _

“I don’t know where I’m going. How am I supposed to start walking if I don’t know where to go?”

Adora huffed angrily and muttered something under her breath along the lines of ‘dumb prisoners’ before tightly gripping Catra’s upper arm and dragging her out of the cell. Catra had to keep herself from smirking as she got Adora right where she wanted her. Even with her memories wiped Adora was still as gullible as ever. All Catra needed to do was distract her long enough to get her hands on the shock baton and put her escape plan into motion. 

Distracting Catra was good at. Maybe she could even get some intel out of Adora if she was lucky. 

Catra side-eyed Adora, barely stopping herself from wincing as she saw the almost cold, methodical look in her eyes. That was something that threw Catra off her game. This almost emotionless Adora. Yes, there were times when Adora was more serious, maybe a little strong headed and bossy, but never emotionless. 

It made Catra shiver. 

But she couldn’t focus on that right now. 

“So,” Catra turned on her ‘charming’ personality as she leaned a little closer to Adora, “Just how long did it take for Hordak to finally decide he wanted me gone? Why not send me to Beast Island while I was still unconscious?”

Adora peered at her from the corner of her eyes, never once faltering in her steps, and tightened her hold around Catra’s arms. 

“ _ Lord _ Hordak had more important things to do these past few days than deal with you.” 

_ Past few days.  _

The pit in her stomach that had formed the moment she first saw Adora in her cell expanded slightly. That meant she was out for more than twenty-four hours. Possibly even more than two days. It worried her to know just what Adora had been put through or done in those ‘past few days’. 

“So the two days I was out you just did what? Sit around and wait for me to wake up so you could ' _ personally see to it _ ’ that I make it to Beast Island? Uh, must have been boring.”

“The  _ three _ days you were out,” Catra didn’t like the confident smirk that smeared over Adora’s face,“Lord Hordak and I were busy claiming Etheria village by village. And soon, Kingdoms. So no, nothing  _ boring _ about it.”

_ No. You did this. You are the reason this happened.  _

Catra could hardly contain the bile that rose in the back of her throat. Adora would never do this. The real Adora. The Adora she’d grown up with; fallen in lo—. 

**_No._ ** __

She no longer had that luxury. Adora couldn’t be her’s after what she had done. Not after her being the reason that Adora was following Hordak and destroying the world she’d so passionately been trying to protect. If the real Adora could see what she was doing…it would  _ kill _ her. Adora would never be able to forgive herself for hurting others. For destroying villages in the name of Lord Hordak. And even worse…using She-Ra’s powers to do so. 

_ You need to focus, Catra. Escape and then worry about Adora. You can’t do anything if you end up on Beast Island.  _

Catra’s tail flicked delicately beside her and a thought wandered it’s way into her brain. Adora always hated when Catra would run her tail along the back of her exposed neck. The feeling would make her seize up a bit as it caused chills to run down her spine. 

It was just the smallest distraction she needed. 

Adora turned a corner, finally stepping into the corridor that would lead them to the docks where the transport was waiting. The last time Catra was here was when her and Adora were still Cadets and they were being introduced to the Horde’s prison system for the first time. She remembered it well enough that she knew exactly when she needed to make her move. Too soon and she would be too far away from the exit to the transport and could possibly end up caught if Adora was able to withstand the shock baton. 

“So you really don’t remember me then, do you?” 

Catra raised her tail slowly, hoping that Adora wouldn’t notice as she turned her glare on her. 

“I only know you from what Lord Hordak has told me. Disobedient, reckless, and a  _ defector _ . Other than that you aren’t anything to me.” 

_ Because you’re nothing. Even Adora doesn’t care about you anymore.  _

A stabbing pain pierced Catra’s chest but she had to push it aside and focus on the task at hand. 

Get ready. 

“Too bad. Because I remember everything about  _ you _ .” 

Catra’s tail applied the slightest bit of pressure and creeped along the back of Adora’s neck without warning. Adora jumped, her back arching and her body going rigid which caused her grip on Catra’s arm to loosen just enough for her to snatch her arm away. Catra’s hand curled around the shock baton and ripped it from Adora’s belt. By the time she had it positioned and turned on Adora had already composed herself. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Adora said as she moved herself into a defensive position. 

Catra let the shock baton crackle once as she readied her body to spring forward, smirking at the  _ idiot _ in front of her. 

“Good ideas aren’t my thing. I just wing it and hope for the best. Most of the time I’m successful.”

Adora raised her hands with a shake of her head, “Not this time.”

Small but powerful fists flew towards Catra’s head but thankfully for her feline reflexes she was able to dodge them. What she wasn’t expecting was a firm grip around her tail. Catra yelped as Adora yanked her back by her tail and threw her down onto the floor behind her. She was barely able to stop her head from bashing back against the hard surface. 

Thankfully Catra was able to regain her bearings quickly or otherwise she wouldn’t have seen the strike that was about to come down on her. 

Catra managed to flip out of the way just in time for Adora’s fist to slam down where her head previously laid. She flinched at the groan that Adora released. Surely something in her hand was fractured, if not broken. 

Catra growled low as she let the baton crackle once more. 

“Just give up, Adora. I don’t…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hmph,” Adora huffed as she shook off her hand, “That’s funny. Because I don’t really care if  _ I _ hurt  _ you _ .” 

_ What did Hordak do to her? What did  _ **_you_ ** _ do, Catra? _

Catra dodged as many strikes and kicks as possible, only catching a stray few around her legs and ribs. She couldn’t keep this up much longer. Someone was bound to hear them fighting, if they didn’t see them first. Though it was her first thought to use the shock baton on Adora, somewhere in the back of her mind Catra knew all along that she wanted to try and talk her into just letting her be. To just let her leave on her own. 

But in reality, even without her memories, Catra knew Adora always followed orders. She knew in the end, no matter how much she didn’t want to, that she was going to have to incapacitate Adora in some way. And that meant slightly hurting her in the process. 

Catra’s eyes darted down to the baton in her hand before bouncing back up to Adora who began to advance on her once more. 

“I’m sorry.”

Adora never faltered in her steps despite Catra’s words. Catra signed deeply and gripped the baton tighter, letting her finger settle over the power button. She ducked under Adora’s swinging fist and twisted her body around so she could thrust the baton towards Adora’s back. 

She expected a scream and the sound of the charged shock hitting Adora’s body…not the hand that halted the weapon from making contact. Catra’s panicked eyes lifted just in time to see Adora peak over her shoulder and smirk down at her. She gasped as the baton was snatched from her hand and Adora’s foot made contact with her chest causing her to smash against the wall behind her. 

Catra groaned from the pain and tried to keep her legs from buckling beneath her. Not that she needed to worry about standing as Adora gripped the front of her shirt and shoved her harder into the wall. 

“This shouldn’t hurt  _ too _ much,” Adora sneered as she charged the shock baton. 

_ You can’t even do this right.  _

Catra let her eyes slide shut as her hands closed around Adora’s wrist. She tried. But whatever Hordak had done to Adora was much greater than she realized. Adora was faster than she remembered. Maybe even stronger. 

But at least she tried. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could find some way to escape Beast Island. 

That’s if she even makes it there now. 

The sound of the crackling shock rang closely to Catra’s ears. Her body tensed, her hands tightening around Adora’s wrist as she prepared herself for the pain. 

Pain that never came. 

“Ah!” 

Adora’s scream filled her ears instead and Catra slumped against the wall as she was released from her hold. Her eyes blinked open to see Adora unconscious on the floor in front of her. 

“We thought you may need some help.” 

Catra’s head snapped up at the voice. 

“Lonnie? Rogelio? W-what are you doing here?”

She watched as Rogelio began to tie up Adora, Lonnie moving around them to help Catra move out of the way. 

“You were out for three days, Catra. A lot of shit happened. Shit that we don’t agree with. And Adora,” Lonnie sighed as she looked over to the limp girl, “She hasn’t been the same since you brought her in. It’s like…like she’s been replaced with someone else.” 

Catra leaned against Lonnie, looking on as Rogelio moved Adora into an empty closet down the corridor. 

“Something like that,” Catra muttered. 

Rogelio returned quickly, giving a quick thumbs up to Lonnie before beginning a jog towards the docks. 

“Kyle secured the transport. We figured you’d try to make your escape at one point after we found out you were being sent to Beast Island. We thought we’d give you a hand because we aren’t staying any longer either, plus you can’t do  _ anything _ without us,” Lonnie teased as she moved away from Catra, “You good to walk?” 

Catra pushed her lingering feelings aside, took a deep breath and nodded to Lonnie. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Let’s get out of here.” 

Catra glanced over her shoulder, eyes lingering down the corridor to the closet that housed Adora. This was it. She was leaving. This was never the way she saw herself ever leaving the Horde. Truth be told Catra always imagined Adora and herself one day conquering the Horde for themselves. As kids they would roam every inch of the Fright Zone, never scared of the dark shadows that lingered in every other corner. Always ruining Octavia’s day by pulling silly pranks or getting her into trouble. Teasing each other during training courses. 

But now… 

Catra felt the sting of tears surge behind her eyes. 

Now she was  _ leaving _ , and without Adora. 

And even worse, she was leaving Adora under the hands of  _ Hordak _ . 

Catra shook the thoughts from her mind, forcing herself to turn away and begin running to catch up to Lonnie. Each step was a bit closer to the transport. To freedom. 

Lonnie waited at the edge of the transport which was already starting its course away from the docks. A small smile broke along Catra’s face as Lonnie held out a hand to her, offering her help to get her on board should she choose to jump. 

With the same fearlessness that she held as a child, Catra leaped. Arm outstretched and gratefully connecting with Lonnie’s who pulled her aboard safely. 

“Thanks,” Catra muttered half-heartedly. 

Lonnie shrugged and began walking away, “Don’t mention it. Seriously. Don’t.” 

Catra watched her walk away before scanning the empty coast line. 

She honestly never saw herself leaving the Horde…at least not like this. Catra truly wished things were different. She wanted nothing more than to turn back time and undo the mistake she made. 

If she had known… 

Catra never would have risked Adora’s memories. She may resent her for leaving her alone, something Adora said she’d never do, but never once did Catra wish for her to forget her. No matter what happened between them whenever they came face to face in the field, deep down Catra knew Adora would never do anything to seriously harm her. 

Adora was the last person who really knew her…who really  _ cared _ for her. 

“And you  _ fucked _ it up,” Catra choked out. 

Sirens began blaring behind her and Catra knew that Adora had finally freed herself and alerted the Horde of her escape. Tearing her eyes from the stretch of sea Catra turned back to the Fright Zone and locked eyes with Adora herself. Even with the distance continuing to grow between them Catra could still make out the steely glare of Adora’s blue eyes. Catra stared back with a small look of yearning for only a second before letting determination stamp it down. 

Hordak suddenly appeared from the shadows behind Adora, his hand falling to her shoulder and watching their disappearing ship. 

“I’m going to free you from him, Adora. No matter what,” Catra declared into the air, as if hoping that it would somehow reach Adora. 

Adora may have left her and maybe for her own good reasons, though she was still trying to convince herself of that, but Catra would not abandon Adora. At least not to the hands of Hordak. 

She would get Adora back. Along with her memories. 

Catra wasn’t sure how, but she would. 

Catra made her way into the bridge of the ship where Rogelio was manning the ship, Lonnie and Kyle off to the side mumbling over a map of Etheria. Lonnie looked back at her as she shut the door, motioning her over to their table. 

“There aren’t many places for us to go other than the Crimson Waste or the Northern Reach if we want to stay out of the Horde’s radar. Neither of those seem to be a good option though. I think we should just lay low in the Whispering Woods for a while until we can come up with a plan. I don’t think the Horde will be willing to waste soldiers on looking for us there.” 

Catra shook her head and set a sharp claw right in the middle of the map.

“No. We aren’t wasting time by hiding. We’re going straight to Bright Moon.”

The three cadets in the room let out sounds of disagreement. 

“Are you crazy, Catra? T-they’ll just capture us and lock us up!” Kyle all but shrieked, Rogelio growling in agreement behind her. 

Lonnie leaned against the table and crossed her arms over her chest, staring right at Catra. 

“What makes you want to go to Bright Moon? I figured that would be the last place  _ you _ would want to go. The moment they see you — _ us _ — they won’t even let us speak before taking us down. It’s not a good plan.” 

Catra growled lowly, hands tightening at her sides, “Look, you don’t have to come with me. Drop me off at the closest shoreline if you want, but I’m going to Bright Moon. As much as I hate to say it, the Rebellion is our best chance at getting help to rescue Adora. I can’t just…I can’t leave her to Hordak.” 

“But why?” Lonnie questioned, “She left all of us behind but more importantly you. I watched you both grow up together. I know how much you cared for each other. And one day she just up and left you. And for what? A sword and a couple of Rebellion fools?  _ Why _ would you still want to rescue her after she left you to the Horde?” 

To keep everyone from seeing the tears that welled in her eyes Catra walked away to the window overlooking the sea. Sharp nails pierced her palms as Catra clenched her fists tighter.

“Because I’m not Adora,” Catra snapped,“She had her reasons for leaving. Maybe I don’t agree with or forgive those reasons but I’m not leaving her to be ruled by Hordak without even knowing what she’s really doing.”

She could feel everyone staring at her back.

“What do you mean by that?” Kyle asked. 

Catra sighed and faced the three cadets once more,“Hordak made Shadow Weaver erase Adora’s memories. O-of the rebellion, her friends, I’m sure she wiped you guys out too. And Me. She doesn’t even know who I am anymore. All she knows now is Hordak and She-Ra, and that She-Ra serves no one but him. That’s why…that’s why she’s different. That’s why she’s not  _ Adora _ .”

_ Not  _ **_my_ ** _ Adora.  _

Lonnie snapped her fingers and looked over at Kyle. 

“That’s why she ignored us when we tried to talk to her. She didn’t know us,” Lonnie turned back to Catra with confused eyes,“But that still doesn’t explain her attitude. Even with her memories gone she should still be somewhat of the same Adora…right?” 

Catra rubbed her hands over her face, pushing some of the bleariness in her eyes away with the palms of her hands before cupping them around her neck. 

“Hordak did  _ something _ to her. When we were fighting she was different. We trained with her almost every day of our lives and I’ve never seen Adora be as fast or as strong as she was back there. At least not without turning into She-Ra. And her demeanor…that didn’t come from the memory wipe. Hordak did something to her and I’m going to find out just what he did,” Catra looked down at her feet, “Even if it kills me.” 

Silence surrounded the room and Catra almost wondered if they all thought maybe she was going crazy trying to rescue someone who had left and betrayed her. 

“Well,” Catra’s head snapped up as Lonnie’s voice reached her ears,“I guess we’re going to Bright Moon then. Can’t let you have all the fun bringing down Hordak.” 

Rogelio and Kyle voiced their agreement with loud cheers and high fives. The corner of Catra’s mouth turned up in a small smirk. If she was being honest she half expected them to drop her off and take their leave without any further questions. Catra hadn’t been the greatest friend to them since Adora’s departure and she was surprised at their choice.

Lonnie grabbed Catra by the shoulders and shook her a bit. 

“We’ll get her back and stop Hordak. Yeah?”

Catra nodded slowly before turning to stare out the window at the disappearing sun, “Yeah. Yeah, we will.”

“Good,” Lonnie said before pushing Catra and making her stumble backwards, “But if you tell  _ anyone _ that I was nice to you I’ll kick your ass.” 

Catra regained her balance, rolling her eyes and huffing out a small laugh. 

“And if  _ you _ tell anyone  _ I _ was nice to you, I’ll kick your ass twice as hard.”

Lonnie smirked, throwing out a punch to Catra’s arm which she quickly dodged before walking over to take the reins from Rogelio. 

Catra watched her team work silently around the bridge before gazing back out into the fading sky. 

“Here we come Bright Moon.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, you can find me on Tumblr [here!](https://clexa-15.tumblr.com/) I do like to post sneak peaks about halfway through my writing so you can keep an eye out for those! And I always make a post when I update! You can always talk to me or ask me anything! My DM and ask box is always open! 
> 
> Love to all! 
> 
> xoxo


	3. Adora's Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You may not have powers,” Shadow Weaver spoke, “But you have something no one else has.”
> 
> Catra’s face scrunched in angry confusion,“And what exactly do I have?”
> 
> “Adora’s heart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been dying to try and get this out earlier but I didn't have the time to write as much as I wanted to! I have so many idea's running around for this (and possibly another Catradora story ;)) fic that I just want to write all the time! Hopefully the next chapter will come a little faster! Here's to hoping!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has left kudos, comments, bookmarks! You guys are amazing and inspire me to write more! 
> 
> xoxo

“It is most disappointing that you let a measly prisoner escape, Adora. I expect more from my second in command,” Hordak chastised.

Adora’s ponytail fell over her shoulder as she bowed her head low before him, “I’m sorry Lord Hordak. I had the prisoner almost secured again before I was blindsided by Lo—.”

Hordak slammed his fist onto the arm of his throne, silencing the rest of Adora’s words. Adora held her breath, not wanting any unnecessary movements to further upset Hordak. 

“I do not care for your feeble excuses! You should have been more than capable of handling three cadets, one of whom was cuffed no less! Or maybe your  _ retraining  _ wasn’t quite as efficient as I previously thought.”

Adora suppressed the shiver that tried to flow down her spine. She would not show weakness in front of her Lord. Not when he was already reprimanding her for being weak. Plus she did not want to jeopardize herself to be subjected to more… _ retraining _ . Adora stayed silent, waiting with bated breath for Lord Hordak’s next command. Her body frozen, one knee kneeled to the floor and her head still bowed, eyes locked on the metal surface below her. 

A disgruntled sigh came from Hordak’s throne, “Though I believe I should submit you to another  _ retraining  _ session, we have more important matters to attend to. Rise, my second.”

Adora stood swiftly, head raising tall and proud as she faced Lord Hordak as he descended from his throne. 

“We must discuss the tactics for our next conquest.”

Hordak pressed a button on one of the many control stations in his sanctum and Adora watched as a grand castle surrounded by mountains and water appeared on a screen above it. A small tower with a giant glowing stone sat in the center of the water right before the passage through the mountains that lead to the great ocean. The stone seemed to call something in Adora but she quickly quelled the feeling with a deep breath. 

“This is Bright Moon,” Hordak drawled as he turned to face her, “This will be the first kingdom we will conquer. The first…of  _ many _ .”

Hordak let out a dark laugh as what Adora assumed to be more kingdoms began materializing over the many screens. Adora stared at each individual kingdom through dark lashes, blue eyes lingering along Bright Moon more than any. Hordak appeared before her, cutting off her view of Bright Moon, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Let us begin orchestrating our plan. We have much to discuss, much to prepare. More villages and outposts to conquer before we take Bright Moon.”

Adora’s head bowed instantly, submitting to her Lord’s demand.

“Yes, Lord Hordak.”

* * *

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to try and go in alone. What if they just decide to kill you instead of letting you talk? What do we do then?”

Catra sighed miserably as she let her forehead smack against the table she was currently sitting at. Lonnie had been trying most of the night to convince her that going in to Bright Moon alone was a ‘horribly stupid idea’. The sun had set hours ago and Catra had relieved Lonnie of manning the ship's course a for a few hours so she could get some rest and now that’s all Catra wanted. 

_ Rest.  _

Maybe it was laying on a metal floor for three days or the fact that she had quite the scuffle with Adora hours prior, but all Catra knew was that her body  _ ached _ . Her hands pulled through the tangles of her wild hair and she yelped as the cold metal cuffs around her wrist snagged a few stray pieces. Catra rested her chin against the table and lifted her wrists to look at the dull metal; the links that were supposed to connect them together were broken. 

Catra realized they must have snapped sometimes during her fight with Adora. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that she was restrained during her  _ badly  _ impromptu escape plan. 

_ And that’s why you almost lost to Adora. You can’t even manage a simple escape, especially from someone you’ve trained almost every day of your life with. _

“Catra? Catra! Are you even listening to me?”

Catra focused back to Lonnie who was leaning on her arms against the table in front of her. 

“Yeah, yeah. I was listening,” Catra said with a yawn before pushing herself out of her chair, “But I’m done talking about this right now. We’re still a good day away from Bright Moon and I don’t want to be completely dead when we arrive. I’m going to take a nap.”

Lonnie looked ready to protest her idea for rest but she never got the chance to utter one word before Kyle came crashing through the door to the bridge. The young, lanky boy stopped just shy of Catra’s position, hands falling to his knees as he took big gulping breaths. 

“C-Catra…you n-need to see, oh man that was a lot of running,” Kyle mumbled as he held his side.

Catra growled in false anger, “Out with it Kyle!”

Kyle took one last deep breath before bouncing straight up and grabbing a hold of Catra’s biceps. Why did everyone think it was suddenly okay to touch he—.

“Shadow Weaver! S-she’s in the prisoner’s hold!”

Catra smacked Kyle’s hands off her person before falling back into her chair and slumping as far as she could without falling off. 

“You have  _ got  _ to be fucking kidding me.”

* * *

Catra stood just outside the door to the prisoner’s hold. Cold sweat began to bead along her spine as she stared at the only thing standing between her and Shadow Weaver. Despite her original reaction when Kyle announced Shadow Weaver’s presence aboard the transport, Catra was  _ very  _ surprised to learn that she was even  _ alive _ . 

Her last memory of Shadow Weaver was Hordak’s razor claws flying towards her and an agonizing scream before Catra blacked out. She hadn’t thought of her much since her awakening in her cell because she thought she was  _ gone _ . But now that wasn’t her reality. Now she stood below the deck of the transport, hand poised over the handle of the door that kept Shadow Weaver locked inside. 

_ Is it even worth going in there? Is it worth talking to someone who took the  _ **_one_ ** _ good thing in your life away? Well, her memories of her anyway.  _

Catra had been asking herself these questions since she had left the bridge. And she was even asking herself why Shadow Weaver was here in the first place, as if she knew the answer.  _ Why  _ did Hordak do…whatever he did to Shadow Weaver?  _ Why  _ did he put her on the transport to Beast Island along with Catra? 

_ Why? Why? Why? _

_ Why did he take Adora from you? _

Catra shook her head, ears drooping in her exhausted state as she forced her thoughts away. Maybe Shadow Weaver could answer her questions. She  _ had  _ to know  _ some  _ of Hordak’s plans. She was his second after all. Well before… _ everything  _ that happened. 

With a deep breath and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach Catra harshly pulled the door open, letting it smack against the wall. The loud bang did nothing to rouse the still figure that sat in the corner of the small room. Nothing but two solid benches lined the white walls of the prisoners’ hold, not even a measly window to shed some natural light into the musty space.

Catra was silent as she assessed the prone form of Shadow Weaver. The usually pristine and shiny mask that covered Shadow Weaver’s face was now cracked and smudged with dirt. The red stone that was normally housed at the top of the mask’s forehead was now missing, the bare hint of tiny shards clung to the edges signifying that it had been shattered. Now she understood. Hordak must have destroyed Shadow Weaver’s mask which in turn took the power that he gave her when he allowed her access to the Black Garnet’s power.

Shadow Weaver still made no movement as she stepped into the room and Catra wondered if maybe she was unconscious. She noted the steady rise and fall of Shadow Weaver’s chest and the way her head leaned back against the wall. The mask, though cracked, didn’t allow Catra to actually see her old caretaker’s face to solidify if she was indeed sleeping or not. Catra cautiously stepped closer, tail flicking anxiously back and forth. 

_ She’s just sleeping. Besides, it’s not like she can do anything to you now. She has no power. _

“I assumed I had trained you better but apparently I was incorrect. You could not even tell I was awake the entire time.” 

Catra jumped back, crouching low and her tail bristling behind her with slight fright. She was quick to correct her stance not wanting to show how frazzled Shadow Weaver’s voice had just made her for a second longer. 

_ She can’t do anything to you now.  _

“ _ You  _ hardly trained me at all.  _ Cobalt  _ on the other hand…well he tried,” Catra rolled her eyes,“I picked up what I know on my  _ own _ . I didn’t need anyone’s help.”

_ Liar. You learned so much by training with Ado—. _

A small snarl ripped past Catra’s lips and she could see Shadow Weaver’s head tilt ever so slightly in her direction. 

“I know that look,” Shadow Weaver began as she adjusted her position on the bench,“You were thinking about Ador—.”

Catra was on Shadow Weaver in an instant, her hand fisting the front of her cloak and slamming her back against the wall. 

“You do  _ not  _ get to talk about her,” Catra hissed, “Not after what you did to her.”

Shadow Weaver didn’t try to break from her hold instead choosing to resign herself to Catra’s wrath. Catra could feel her claws ripping into the red fabric in her hand and she wanted nothing more than to flex them so she could pierce the skin beneath it. 

“You  _ took  _ her from me. You made her forget  _ everything _ !”

“Then you know I also removed myself from her memory,” Shadow Weaver sighed.

“This isn’t about  _ you _ ! Besides, that was  _ your  _ choice! Not mine! Not  _ Adora’s _ !” Catra growled, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, “You have no one to blame but yourself, not even Hordak. You could have easily disobeyed him! You…you could have done  _ something _ …you could have acted like you actually  _ cared _ about us for once in your lif—.”

Shadow Weaver cut her off with a quick mumbling of words. Words that stopped Catra in her tracks. Her claws ripped away from Shadow Weaver’s cloak as she dropped to the floor and stared at her in disbelief. 

“W-what did you say?”

“The memory wipe is not permanent,” Shadow Weaver sighed. 

_ She’s lying. She’s doing this to mess with your head. Like she always does. She’s trying to trick you. _

Catra’s emotions felt like a whirlwind inside her body. Anger. Confusion.  _ Hope _ . 

“What do you mean it’s not permanent?”

Shadow Weaver was silent a second too long for Catra’s liking. She flung herself from her position on the floor, knocking Shadow Weaver back into the wall once more, hand around her neck with the slightest pressure. 

“ _ Tell me _ ,” Catra hissed.

Catra could feel Shadow Weaver staring at her face through the eyes of her mask. 

“I may have obeyed Hordak’s command to wipe Adora’s memories. But only to a  _ certain _ degree.”

Gold and blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Go on.”

Shadow Weaver righted herself where she sat, Catra’s assault having pushed her into an uncomfortable position. Catra watched as Shadow Weaver slumped forward, elbows resting on her knees as she stared down at her hands. 

“The mind is… _ complicated  _ to deal with on its own alone, but memories… Memories, especially when manipulating them the way Hordak demanded, are a completely different level of the mind that takes much concentration and  _ power  _ to manipulate.”

Catra grew impatient as Shadow Weaver looked over to her, as if wondering if she was keeping up. She growled, not wanting to wait any longer to hear of Adora’s memories, and motioned with hand for her to keep going.

“While I was able to manipulate Adora’s memories, I was  _ unable  _ to wipe them completely. I may have had a connection with the Black Garnet but it was not as strong as it should have been. The runestone began to fight me. It would not let me access its full power, therefore I only had the power to manipulate and seal away Adora’s memories.” 

“So, that means…,” Catra began slowly as she rose from the floor,“that means we just need to rescue Adora from Hordak and you can just reverse it. Right?”

Shadow Weaver hung her head once more, not meeting Catra’s ever raging eyes. 

“We  _ can  _ reverse it,  _ right _ ?”

“It is not that simple,” Shadow Weaver sighed as she lifted a hand to the crushed runestone at her forehead,“That day, Hordak severed my connection with the runestone by destroying my mask. I do not possess the power necessary to reverse what I did to Adora.”

Catra growled deeply and began pacing the small space of the prisoner’s hold. 

“Then we’ll just have to get back into the Fright Zone, get you to the Black Garnet so you can do… _ whatever  _ you do to connect with it, and then rescue Adora and reverse everything you did.”

She whipped around as Shadow Weaver’s light chuckle reached her ears. 

“And once again you are being feeble minded, Catra. If things were as simple as that I would have suggested it the moment you walked in here.”

“As if,” Catra spat,“It’s not like rescuing Adora from Hordak’s clutches is your primary concern. All you’ve ever cared about is  _ power _ . Adora and I were only pawns in your game. Ways for you to get to the  _ top _ .”

Catra advanced on Shadow Weaver once more, this time her claws digging down into her shoulder with a powerful force. 

“Now, tell me why things aren’t as  _ simple  _ as I think they are.”

She could feel the heavy stare of Shadow Weaver’s eyes roam her face. 

“The Black Garnet was already fighting against me using its power. Now that my connection to it is severed, it is most unlikely that I will ever be able to access it ever again.” 

Her claws momentarily dug deeper into Shadow Weaver’s shoulder before pushing her back and turning to punch the wall behind her. 

“ _ Dammit _ ,” Catra shouted,“You always have to ruin  _ everything _ , don’t you? First, mine and Adora’s childhoods and now  _ this _ !”

Claws slashed along the wall, leaving deep gouges in their wake. 

“I may not be able to bring forth Adora’s memories but  _ you _ ,” Catra looked over her shoulder as Shadow Weaver stood from the bench,“Catra, may be able to.”

Catra turned, her narrowed eyes never leaving Shadow Weaver.

“What are you talking about? I can’t restore Adora’s memories! I don’t have powers!”

Shadow Weaver stepped forward, stopping when Catra hissed and swung her claws towards her in warning to stay away. 

“You may not have powers,” Shadow Weaver spoke, “But you have something no one else has.”

Catra’s face scrunched in angry confusion,“And  _ what _ exactly do I have?”

“Adora’s heart.”

The words resonated within her being. Bouncing from her now downturned ears, to the hollow pit of her stomach, and back up into her heart. 

“W-What are you talking about?”

_ You know what she means. _

Shadow Weaver shook her head at the young feline,“Do not play fool with me, Catra. I raised you and Adora myself.”

Catra scoffed, tail flicking in annoyance, “Yeah, sure. Raised? Not so much. Abused? Definitely.”

“I  _ raised  _ you from the moment you entered the Horde,” Shadow Weaver ignored her comment,“I watched every interaction between you and Adora since the moment you both met. It is not hard for someone with eyes to see just how much you have come to mean to Adora…and Adora to  _ you _ .”

Catra growled to herself at the statement. There was no denying it, she knew that. Growing up the other children often teased or warned her and Adora for caring for each other so much. In the Horde they were taught that attachments meant distractions. And distractions in times of war meant  _ death _ . But that never seemed to scare Adora or herself from continuing to build their relationship. 

She could remember the countless times they had been reprimanded by their superiors for running around the corridors laughing and playing pranks on others. The times they had protected each other from Octavia whenever she chased them after calling her a dumb-face. They’d heard stories about something called ‘birthdays’ and would always celebrate their’s together on the same day. If you could call swapping the same grey ration bars and telling each other ‘happy birthday’ celebrating.

Though Catra had been very young when she first met Adora, she couldn’t remember a time when Adora  _ wasn’t  _ there. Every single memory from the Horde was shared with Adora. 

There was nothing but  _ Adora.  _

A hand found its way under her chin, lifting it softly so she could stare into the mask of Shadow Weaver. 

“And there it is. The look you get every time you think of her. It has always been the same look.”

Anger flushed her system and she put as much force as she could to slapping Shadow Weaver’s hand away from her. 

“ _ Don’t _ touch me! Besides, what do you know? You always cared about Adora more than me. Why do you think you know me so well? You know  _ nothing _ .”

_ Liar. She can read you like an open book. _

“And that is where you are wrong, Catra. You may not have known but I was always watching you and Adora. Paying attention to every small detail that flowed through the both of you as you grew older. No one but myself can tell just what you are thinking by merely looking at your face. And the face you made just moments ago,” Shadow Weaver gestured towards her, “Was purely filled with Adora. Nothing more.”

Catra suppressed the shiver that tried to crawl down her spine. Catra knew that Shadow Weaver always kept tabs on them but she never realized just how much she  _ watched  _ them. She had to calm herself for a moment, hoping that the bile in the back of her throat would slowly fade away. 

“You…,” Catra breathed slowly, “I knew you were crazy but  _ that  _ is just so messed up. Why watch us? Why hide in the shadows and spy on growing kids?  _ Why _ ?”

Catra wasn’t sure she wanted a real answer to her question. 

“You know what,” Catra said with a shake of her head, “Don’t even answer that. We’re done here. Whenever we make it to Bright Moon I’ll let the rebellion have you. They can decide your punishment for the things you’ve done.”

With one last glare Catra stormed towards the exit, only stopping shy of fully leaving when she heard Shadow Weavers voice echo around the room. 

“You mean for the things  _ we’ve  _ done. You are no more innocent than I, Catra.”

Catra’s back was ridged, tail curling around her own waist defensively, but she did not turn around. She couldn’t. 

_ You know she’s right. _

No matter how much Catra knew Shadow Weaver was right she could not find the will to respond. The thought had been weighing heavily in the back of her mind since her decision to go to Bright Moon had formed in her head. Catra knew the moment she was seen she would be thrown in a prison for the crimes she had committed against the rebellion. But  _ this _ …going to Bright Moon was possibly her only chance at getting any help to rescue Adora. Even if it meant her being locked up. 

_ As long as Adora is free from Hordak…it doesn’t matter what happens to me.  _

Catra threw one last glare over her shoulder at Shadow Weaver before slamming the door shut and locking it behind her. She stalked down the corridor towards the barracks, body crying with exhaustion and mind jumbled with nothing but Shadow Weaver’s words. 

Could Catra trust the sorceress? Could she really believe she held Adora’s heart so firmly that she would be able to revive her memories? Would she only be getting her hopes up if she let herself  _ really  _ believe it?

_ You know you hold Adora’s heart. You always have. You were just too blind with hate to realize before someone told you to your face. With jealousy.  _

Catra groaned as she threw herself down onto one of the many bunks that lined the barracks. She doubted she would be able to lose herself to sleep at this point. Too many thoughts and the sound of crashing waves against the small port window were fogging her mind and pushing her sleepiness away. Catra turned over on her back with a huff, heterochromia eyes drifting off as she stared at bunk above her. 

_ Do you have what it takes to really save Adora? To bring her memories back?  _

Catra curled up on her side and pulled her tail into her hands, claws raking over it gently to calm the small bristling that was beginning to move down it. Her hands gripped her tail handed with each passing second. With each passing thought. 

_ Would you be  _ **_selfless_ ** _ enough to actually save Adora  _ **_yourself_ ** _? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I know I didn't exactly go into full detail about what exactly Shadow Weaver meant when she said Catra holds Adora's heart, though I'm sure most of you will understand what she meant, but I will be touching on that subject a little later. About what it actually means and how Catra holding Adora's heart will play into everything! Just be patient, pease! :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)
> 
> Love to all!
> 
> xoxo


	4. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer, Bow, and Swift Wind search for Adora. Catra asks for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tried so hard to post on Thursdays but TLOU part 2 came out and posting last week was just not an option after I started playing it! But I'm hopefully going to be keeping up with posting on Thursdays, if not then on Sundays! I've also signed up to participate in the She-Ra fluff bang that's been going around on Tumblr so I'll also be working on that the next month! So I'm going to try to split my focus between the two as much as possible and keep updates going!
> 
> Anyway, I'm so thankful to everyone who has left kudos, comments, and bookmarks! You are all wonderfully amazing! I have some comments that I have yet to respond to from the last chapter but I'll be getting on those right away! Thank you all for reading and waiting for the next chapter! Enjoy! :)

“Swift Wind, are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Of course I’m sure…I’m seventy-nine percent sure this is the right direction,” Swift Wind said semi-confidently. 

Bow and Glimmer stopped walking and glanced worriedly at each other. 

“Only seventy-nine percent?” Bow asked, his voice raising slightly. 

The alicorn looked around for a moment before continuing his trot forward. 

“Well, maybe more like sixty-nine,” Swift Wind threw over his shoulder as he disappeared past a group of dense trees. 

Glimmer, shaking her head and mumbling a small prayer to all of Etheria, began jogging to catch up with the alicorn, leaving a mildly panicking Bow in her wake. 

“That’s ten percent less than before! That’s even worse!” Bow shouted, “Oh, man. We’re gonna be lost out here. Then we won’t be able to find Adora o-or heal Glimmer. That means Bright Moon is going to be vul—.”

Glimmer stomped back to Bow, gripping the front of his shirt and began pulling him in the direction of Swift Wind despite his constant fussing. 

“I swear on all of Etheria if we don’t find Adora soon I’m going to leave you  _ both  _ in the Whispering Woods,” Glimmer whispered mostly to herself. 

Bow continued his insufferable worrying as Glimmer drug him to catch up to Swift Wind. 

* * *

Much to Glimmer’s delight Swift Wind finally announced that they had arrived to where he felt Adora’s presence last. Before them was a large crystal tower —well more like a castle considering its size— covered in vines and magical flowers. The light from Etheria’s many moons shone across the top crystal sending beams of light to fill the space around them. 

Swift Wind trotted ahead, his wings flapping slightly as he grew closer to the citadel. 

“Look! There aren’t any vines around here! Maybe there’s some sort of door here that Adora was able to open! Let’s look around!

Glimmer and Bow came upon where Swift Wind was currently rummaging his snout around the vines looking for a possible entrance. Bow and Glimmer began running their hands along the smooth crystal walls of the castle hoping to feel some sort of seam that would belong to a door. But after a few minutes of searching they came up empty handed.

“This is impossible,” Glimmer grumbled, “There’s no way we’re going to be able to get inside. This place is a fortress just like all the other First One’s ruins that are still intact. Adora more than likely used She-Ra to get in.”

“We can’t give up now,” Swift Wind declared, walking alongside the castle wall, “There has to be some way insid—. Ah! I have no idea what’s going on!”

Bow and Glimmer watched as Swift Wind’s horn began glowing with a bright golden light. The First One’s writing etched into the crystal wall began glowing and a small rumble began to shake the ground beneath their feet. The three rebels jumped back as part of the ground began to shift downward into a slope, opening up into a semi-lit corridor. 

“Well, I guess that’s one way to get inside,” Bow whispered as he ducked down to get a look into the castle. 

“I didn’t even know I could do that,” Swift Wind muttered more to himself than anyone. 

Glimmer marched ahead of her friends, never stopping even as they called out for her.

“We don’t have time to wait! We need to find Adora. Now!” 

Swift Wind and Bow glanced nervously at each other before following behind the small glittery shine of Glimmer’s powers. The floor rose and shut behind them as they fully stepped into the citadel, encasing them in darkness as the distance between them and Glimmer grew. 

“I really hope we find Adora soon,” Bow mumbled as they moved faster to catch up with Glimmer. 

* * *

They surveyed the scene before them. A shattered crystal sat to the right of the entrance of the large room where they stood, a few claw marks found here and there. The doors that lead to the branching hallways were closed…well all but two. One was in pristine condition. The other appeared to be smashed open by… _ something _ . Crumbled pieces of the door were thrown about, a few laid inside the hallway as if whatever had caused the damage more than likely had successfully gotten inside. 

“Whatever happened here,” Bow began as he walked around the destroyed crystal, “It doesn’t look like it was good. I hope Adora is okay.”

Glimmer came up behind him, resting her hand on his shoulder, “Adora is strong. I know she’s okay. We just have to keep looking and make sure she isn’t stuck inside here or something. We’ll find her.”

“But what if she isn’t here. You saw the claw marks there,” Bow whispered as he pointed to the few marks marring the wall near the entrance.

“Even if Catra was here we know she wouldn’t  _ really  _ hurt Adora. And if we don’t find either of them here then…,” Glimmer let out a sigh, “Then I have a feeling of where she might be.”

Bow let his hand rest over Glimmer’s, “I really hope that’s not the case. Without your powers and the other princess’ help it’ll be nearly impossible to get to her.” 

“I know,” Glimmer whispered, “Let’s just hope for the best right now. If she’s in the Fright Zone then we’ll figure something out. We always figure something out. This time is no different.”

“Well, we are good at improvising,” Bow shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. 

Glimmer giggled, “We suck at improvising.”

“Uh, guys. I think you need to see this.”

Glimmer and Bow turned to see Swift Wind standing on the platform in the middle of the room. In front of him was a hologram of what looked to be a woman. Her hands hovered over the center of her chest, eyes blank and white, and her dress was etched with what looked like First One’s markings. 

“What is it? Or, uh, I mean she…?” Glimmer asked as they stepped onto the platform. 

“Greetings,” The woman spoke in a robotic voice, “What is your query?”

The three rebels looked at each other in confusion.

“Uh,” Bow stammered, “We’re looking for our friend, Adora. Or She-Ra.”

A few beats of silence past before the woman glitched and her entire body turned red. 

“Unauthorized presence detected. Security protocol activated,” The woman spoke before disappearing.

Swift Wind shifted closer to Glimmer, “That doesn’t sound good.”

The sound of screeching came from the open door on their left before a bunch of red lights — _ eyes? _ — suddenly began appearing from the darkness in the corridor. 

“That’s not good either!” Swift Wind yelled as he backed up.

Bow began shoving Glimmer and Swift Wind towards the corridor with the destroyed door.

“Run! If whatever those things are catch us we’ll never find Adora.”

“But we can’t just go running around hoping we’ll find her! What if those things catch us?” Swift Wind shouted. 

“We’ll just have to keep moving so they don’t! If we find Adora we grab her and run back here to the exit! There’s no other choice,” Glimmer shouted as they began running down the corridor. 

Swift Wind galloped behind them, turning to look over his shoulder as the glowing red eyes followed after them. 

“Adora will owe us  _ so  _ many apples for this.”

* * *

_ “Can I ask you something?” _

_ Catra groaned, “Can I stop you?” _

_ Both girls stopped abruptly, gasping as their toes met the edge of a dark valley.  _

_ “Why did you help me escape after Shadow Weaver captured us?” Adora asked.  _

_ “Not this again,” Catra rolled her eyes as she moved towards the crystal beam acting as a bridge over the dark valley.  _

_ “It’s the one thing I can’t figure out,” Adora admitted as she followed Catra across the beam, “You didn’t have to do that. You could’ve gotten caught. Why risk it? Whoa, whoa, whoa!”  _

_ Adora’s arms flailed as the floor under her foot crumbled and caused her to lose her balance, sending her tumbling almost into the valley. But Catra’s hand shot out, grabbing a hold of her wrist and keeping her steady at the edge.  _

_ “Did you really think I’d just let Shadow Weaver erase your memory like that?” _

_ “But you did.”  _

_ The shock of the words was almost harsh enough to Catra’s system that she barely kept herself from letting go of Adora. Though Adora didn’t seem to need her help as she moved herself from the edge to tower over Catra.  _

_ “You let Shadow Weaver erase my memories, Catra. Why? Why did you do it?” _

_ Catra began backing away, fear and guilt filling her chest.  _

_ “A-Adora, I didn’t. I-It was Hordak. He was the one who made he—.” _

_ Adora lifted She-Ra’s sword, which seemingly appeared from nowhere, to her chin and grazed the cool metal against her fur.  _

_ “But you did  _ **_nothing_ ** _ to stop it. You let her take everything away from me. My friends, the rebellion,  _ **_you_ ** _. It’s  _ **_your_ ** _ fault that this happened to me!” _

_ The sword moved closer to her neck.  _

_ “It’s your fault that now, Hordak has the power of She-Ra at his helm. Under his control. Do you realize what you’ve done?” _

_ Adora’s words reverberated off the crystal walls and into Catra ears over and over. The volume of them was enough to send her to her knees, hands covering her sensitive ears as tears streaked down her cheeks.  _

_ “It’s your fault! You’re to blame!” _

_ Catra curled in on herself, never realizing that everything around her faded to black, Adora nowhere to be seen.  _

_ “And thanks to you,” Catra’s head snapped up at the sound of Hordak’s voice, “Etheria will soon belong to me.” _

_ Catra’s eyes honed in on the barely visible outline of Hordak. Adora stood in front of him, his hand resting on her shoulder as the other held the sword of She-Ra. His evil smirk sent chills down Catra’s spine.  _

_ “As well as She-Ra’s powers.” _

* * *

Catra shot up from her position on the bunk, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Sweat coated her brow and most of her body causing little goosebumps to form as the air hit her fur. Her claws were sunken into the thin mattress under her, easily shredding the thick fabric as she released her steely grip. Catra let out a shaky breath and tried to force the lingering images of her nightmare away. 

Sliding to the edge of the bed, Catra let her elbows drop to her knees as she cradled her head in her clammy hands. Every time she blinked all she could see was Hordak with his hands on Adora. 

_ “It’s your fault!” _

Catra jumped to her feet, gold and blue eyes darting around the room with something akin to fear. Adora’s voice sounded more like it bounced off the metal walls of the room than inside her mind. She could practically feel the warmth of her breath ghosting along her neck. With a sigh Catra lowered herself to the floor where she stood, her tail wrapping delicately around her legs. 

The quiet stirred around her. Deafening. 

“I’m such an  _ idiot _ ,” Catra whispered to herself. 

And if anyone were to walk in on her now, they would see the self-loathing lingering in her eyes mingling with the unshed tears that she refused to let fall. 

* * *

“Someone please tell me we’re almost to Bright Moon already. I don’t know how much more of this ship I can take.”

Catra had cleaned herself up in the small bathroom aboard the ship before returning to the bridge. Lonnie stood near Rogelio, who was currently manning the ship, with a map of Etheria in her hands studying it closely. Catra wasn’t surprised to see Kyle passed out at the table on the other side of the room, drool pooling around his chin. 

“We’re pretty much as close as we can get without the Rebellion spotting us and sending troops our way,” Lonnie informed her as she turned back to her map, “Just trying to decide a decent place to stop where we won’t get stuck but can still get to land without swimming.”

Catra rolled her eyes. 

“Just stop here. The ship should have some smaller boats with motors around somewhere so we won’t have to worry about actually docking next to land,” Catra said offhandedly. 

Lonnie and Rogelio shared a quick side glance. 

“And since when do you know so much about ships? Not like you learned it in Force Captain Orientation,” Lonnie smirked. 

Catra sputtered.

_ Damn Force Captain Orientation.  _

“T-That stupid thing is just a waste of time and everyone knows it,” Catra growled as she snatched the map from Lonnie, “I learned plenty about ships when we were on our way to Salineas to take the Sea-Gate before running into…” 

Catra’s voice trailed off, silence filling the room. 

_ Before running into  _ **_Adora_ ** _.  _

Catra’s tongue was thick in her mouth. She hadn’t realized it until now but she could barely  _ think  _ Adora’s name let alone  _ speak _ it. Catra could feel everyone’s eyes on her and it made her squirm. 

Thankfully she didn’t have to try and act her way out of her sudden silence thanks to Lonnie who came up behind her to retake the map. 

“Despite your lack of knowledge from skipping Force Captain Orientation,” Lonnie started with a teasing roll of her eyes, “I trust what you’re saying. We just need to make sure  _ this  _ ship has those boats before we can do anything else. Kyle! Wake up!”

Kyle stood up abruptly, hand shooting up to his forehead in a salute as drool continued to dribble down his chin. 

“Y-yes, sir,” Kyle mumbled sleepily but nonetheless awake. 

Lonnie and Catra rolled their eyes though neither would admit the small chuckles they suppressed at the sight of the poor boy. 

“Go see if you can find the boats that Catra is talking about. When you find them get one of them ready to go,” Lonnie instructed. 

Kyle weakly nodded, hand still at salute, “Right away.”

They watched Kyle stumble over his feet towards the door, pushing back dirty blonde locks from his eyes as he went. Both girls shook their heads once Kyle disappeared into the corridor before looking back at the map of Etheria. 

“Uh,” Kyle popped his head through the doorway, “What kind of boat am I supposed to be looking for again?”

Catra pinched the bridge of her nose and she could hear Rogelio release a disappointed sigh at Kyle’s words. Lonnie palmed her face before moving towards Kyle and pushing his head back out the door. 

“ _ We’ll  _ go find the boats,” Lonnie muttered, annoyed. 

* * *

“If I don’t come back in three hours, leave,” Catra instructed as she boarded the small boat, “If you see any Bright Moon guards, leave. There’s no point in all of us becoming prisoners until I can get them to try and help us.”

Lonnie watched as she began fumbling with the controls on the boat, “I’m not worried about them wanting to save Adora. You already know as soon as you tell them what’s happened that they’ll try to rescue her. I’m more worried about them just immediately taking  _ you _ prisoner and just  _ leaving _ you there to rot.”

In this, Catra knew Lonnie was right to worry. There was no doubt in her mind that Adora’s little friends wouldn’t hesitate to start planning a rescue for her once they learned what happened. If she was being honest with herself, Catra would be using them.

Yes, she was no match for Hordak and the entire Horde — _ and She-ra— _ on her own. She’d be batted away like a delicate little fly. And even though the Bright Moon fools made the  _ worst  _ plans, at least from what she saw from previous experience, they still had numbers and powers. And those she would use to her advantage. 

If she could get everyone else to distract Hordak and the Horde, Catra could take Adora. Even as She-Ra. She knew Adora’s weaknesses like the back of her hand. Growing up and training together gave them plenty of time to learn each other’s skills and movements enough to know how to take each other out. 

And one of them currently couldn’t remember the other’s. 

Catra turned the key in the boat's ignition, the motor rumbling the floor beneath her feet. Lonnie removed the rope keeping the boat prone in its dock and tossed it to Catra to put away. 

“And Lonnie,” Catra began as the former Horde cadet gave her boat a small push further out into the water, “Don’t let Shadow Weaver out of that hold. Don’t even open the door. Even without her powers we know how she is. We can’t let her escape.” 

Lonnie waved her off, “I may not have been under her thumb like you and Adora but I still know how conniving she is. She’s not going anywhere with me around.”

“Good. Just keep Kyle away from there. He’s bound to fuck something up if he goes near her,” Catra rolled her eyes.

“You got it,  _ Force Captain _ .”

Catra scoffed. No longer would she need that title. She had given it up the moment Hordak revealed his true plans for Adora. There was no possible way to allow herself to be Hordak’s second in command after  _ this _ . Not that Hordak himself would allow her to be anyway. Not after banishing her to Beast Island. 

Once this was all over, once Adora was safe, where would that leave her? Her role in the Horde was no more. The Rebellion obviously saw her as an enemy after the crimes she committed against them. What was left for her? 

Catra internally sighed. 

Now was not the time. She pushed the thoughts away and turned back to face the coast line. The land was barely visible but if she looked hard enough Catra could just barely see the glow of Bright Moon’s runestone shining over the many mountains surrounding it. 

“Remember,” Catra said without turning around, hands rising to the controls of the boat, “Three hours. I’m not back, leave.”

She didn’t wait for a reply before taking off. The boat bounced against the salty waves, droplets flying up to coat her hair and fur. It took all of Catra’s willpower not to duck below the control panel to hide away from the water. 

_ For Adora. _

Catra’s eyes hardened, never leaving the purple glow that steadily grew brighter. 

_ You can do this for Adora. You won’t leave her like she left you.  _

* * *

Catra wondered just how these Bright Moon fools were able to withstand the Horde armies for so long when they couldn’t even keep her from sneaking in completely undetected. 

After reaching the shore, thankfully no guards were wondering around, Catra trudged her way towards the edge of the Whispering Woods. She had hesitated for a moment as the wind howled around her and whispers reached her ears. Well, there was a reason it was named the Whispering Woods. But she had ignored them and stalked forward, mind set on reaching Bright Moon.

And that’s what led her to this moment, currently climbing the stone exterior of the castle. Catra was thankful enough to be able to sniff out Sparkle’s scent and even more thankful to find said scent coming from an open window visible from where she had exited the woods. Leave it to Sparkle’s to have an open window to her bedroom with no guards to watch it. 

And though she held no fear of heights, Catra was thankful to finally reach the window. 

“It’s not like I could’ve fell to my death or anything," Catra mumbled to herself as she perched on the windowsill, tail flicking behind her. 

Catra, thanks to her heightened senses, was able to easily tell that the room was unoccupied. She glanced around at the purple walls, the bed suspended high from the ceiling, and the many pictures and papers hung around the room. 

“Fancy,” Catra whistled as she moved further into the room. 

She could also pick up the scent of Arrow Boy around the room, as well as lingering traces of Adora’s. 

_ Not surprising.  _

Catra allowed herself a few more moments of gazing around the room, slowly walking over to a large vanity to her right. Its surface was littered with different bottles of perfumes, opened books, fabrics and…pictures. 

There were a few of baby Sparkles with a woman and man, who Catra assumed were her parents, and the rest just a few randoms of Bright Moon. But there was one lone photo that caught Catra’s eye just before she turned away. 

Stuck to the mirror by a piece of tape was a small photo of Adora, Bow, and Glimmer. They seemed to be in a different room given their surroundings. Bow and Glimmer were both lying on the floor atop bundles of blankets wearing pajamas. 

_ And Adora.  _

Catra felt the corner of her mouth involuntarily quirk up at the sight of her ex best friend. Adora hung upside down from the eerily similar looking Horde bed, her face broken in mid laughter as her hands formed upside-down peace signs. Catra had never really seen Adora’s face so relaxed. At least not since they were kids. Adora had always been at the top of her game when they were cadets. Never one to lose focus or sway towards anything that wasn’t training oriented or getting in the way of her becoming a Force Captain. The last time Catra had even gotten a small laugh out of Adora was when they were in the locker room before Adora left with Shadow Weaver. Adora was always much too serious, too strung up. Even in her sleep. 

_ The Horde did that to her. Do you really think she would ever be able to relax as a Force Captain? Do you really think she would ever have time to mess around with you like when you were kids? She’d never have time for you. She’d never have time to lov—. _

Catra was broken from her harrowing thoughts as the door to Sparkle’s room was thrown open. She stood there, a deer — _ cat _ — stuck in the headlights, as Glimmer walked into the room before stopping at the sight of Catra. Glimmer’s eyes instantly hardened, her hands rising and forming purple glowing orbs around them before shooting a few off at Catra. 

The feline yelped but easily dodged the orbs, hair standing on end as they smashed into the wall behind her head. 

“What are  _ you  _ doing here, _ Horde Scum _ ?” Glimmer growled. 

Catra dusted herself off, letting her slight unease fall away with the dirt, before putting on her signature smirk and tail snapping dangerously behind her. 

“How’s it going, Sparkle’s?”

If possible, Glimmer’s brows furrowed even more in anger. 

“I said, what are you doing here? Why are you in my room? How did you even get in?”

Catra scoffed and gestured to the completely open window, “It’s not like you have guards watching an  _ open window  _ that leads right into the princess’ room. It was a piece of cake getting in here.”

“Glimmer, what’s going on? I heard…,” Bow suddenly rushed through the doorway to Glimmer’s room, eyes flying to Catra, “What is she doing here?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Glimmer said, her eyes never leaving Catra, “Are you going to tell us why you’re here or do I just need to get the guards to come in and arrest you?”

Catra, ever one to make herself unconcerned with threats thrown her way, rolled her eyes and hopped up to sit on Sparkle’s vanity. 

“Calm down Sparkle’s. I’m not here to cause any trouble,” Catra said as her head turned, eyes catching the picture of the three best friends once again, “I actually need…I need your help.”

Bow and Glimmer looked at each other in confusion. 

“You need our help?” Bow asked as he stepped closer. 

“Why should we help you with anything after all the crimes you’ve committed against Bright Moon? Against Etheria?” Glimmer fumed.

Clawed hands reached up and tore down the picture stuck to the mirror. Catra stared at it for a few moments longer before holding it up enough for the two best friends to see, a single black claw resting right beside Adora’s pictured smile. 

“I need your help rescuing Adora from Hordak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I don't like this chapter very much. I think it's a little jumbled here and there but I couldn't bring myself to rewrite it. Hopefully the next one will be better! I just didn't have my thoughts planned out right for this one and I couldn't really envision it in my head other than the part where Catra is finally in Glimmer's room. But it is what it is. I hope you all enjoyed and can't wait to give you more! 
> 
> Love to all! 
> 
> And Happy Pride Month!
> 
> xoxo


	5. Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry that this is so late! I was working on my piece for the 2020 She-Ra Fluff Bang and it took me longer than expected to finish. That and this chapter was a bit harder for me to get through. It's mainly a filler chapter but still something!! So please, enjoy!

Glimmer rushed over to Catra the moment her brain was able to wrap around the words that had come out of her mouth. The picture was snatched from her hand before Catra was slammed back against the vanity’s mirror, Glimmer glaring at her with angry sparkles in her eyes. 

“What do you mean you need our help rescuing Adora? What the hell did you do, Catra?”

All of Catra’s ego instantly deflated, her ears pinning down to her head and not because of the shrill tone of Glimmer’s voice. As much as she wanted to smirk at the sparkly princess and tell her Adora getting captured wasn’t her fault...she couldn’t. This was all on Catra, and she didn’t need Glimmer to remind her of that. Her own mind did that just fine on it’s own. 

Too caught up in her own self guilt, Catra didn’t notice Glimmer trying to get her to answer her question. At least not until she was harshly pushed back against the mirror once more and Catra could have sworn she heard a crack. 

Bow was on them in a second trying to de-escalate his friend, “Glimmer, I know we want to find out what she knows about Adora but hurting her isn’t going to get us anywhere. Let’s just...let go of her and talk calmly about this. I mean, as calmly as we can with the person who’s been trying to kill us the past few weeks.”

The angry sparkles in Glimmer’s eyes diminished some at Bow’s words and the grip on Catra’s shirt loosened until it was gone. Catra watched as Bow pulled Glimmer into a swift hug, a few hushed words shared between them before they separated and faced her once more. 

“So,” Bow started awkwardly, “You said you needed our help rescuing Adora from  _ Hordak _ . Care to explain what happened?”

Catra had to force herself not to roll her eyes at the boy. He was much too kind and Catra was always taught that kindness was a weakness and could get you killed. All it took was being kind to someone, enough to let your guard down, and then you were theirs for the taking. Catra wondered how Arrow Boy had made it this far in his life with his overwhelming amount of kindness. 

“Look,” Catra started with a heavy sigh, “The truth is probably going to make you hate me even more than you do now but  _ trust  _ me when I say that I’ve realized what I did was wrong. I want to make up for what I did and the only way to do that is to rescue Adora and get her back here, safe.” 

“That’s not telling us what happened,” Glimmer huffed impatiently. 

Clawed hands nervously toyed with a small bottle that sat near her on the vanity. Catra’s tail hung limp in her lap, ears pinning completely against her head making her look utterly defeated. 

“I was in the Whispering Woods looking for First One’s tech when I came across Adora. She was going towards this ruin that was all lit up and sending a beam of light a mile high in the sky. When she went in...I followed her,” Catra glanced up from the bottle to look at a still fuming Glimmer and patiently waiting Bow. 

“And?” Glimmer growled?

Catra dropped the bottle, claws digging into the wood of the vanity, “That place...when it found out I was there it tried to kill us. Whatever  _ it  _ was. Some lady, I think. I-It read our memories. Showed us stuff from when we were still kids in the Horde. Adora, she...We got separated. When I found her she was fighting these spider things.” 

“Oh,” Bow chimed in with a shiver, “We know what you’re talking about.” 

“Bow,” Glimmer hushed the boy. 

“Anyway,” Catra mumbled as she looked between the friends before continuing her story. 

Glimmer and Bow listened with rapt attention and Catra could see the anger flaring in the princess’ eyes the further along she got. She could even see a hint of anger flitter across Arrow Boy’s face as well before being stomped back. 

“When I got back to the Fright Zone I went straight to Hordak. I gave him the sword and…,” Catra’s throat constricted. 

“A-and I gave him Adora.” 

Glimmer picked up the nearest object and flung it towards Catra’s head, animosity clear in her eyes. 

_ “ _ **_You what_ ** _?” _

Catra quickly dodged the book, any response dying in her throat as it bounced off the mirror behind her. 

It was definitely cracked now. 

Bow was on Glimmer in an instant, trying to talk her down as she reached for another random object off the floor. It’s not like Catra could blame Glimmer for her reaction. She had expected it, deserved it. After all...Catra brought Adora to  _ Hordak _ unconscious, tied up, and gave him her sword. 

And Catra had yet to tell them the  _ worst  _ part. 

“Glimmer,” Bow started, trying to snatch the glass bottle from his friend’s hand, “I know you’re angry but violence is  _ not  _ the answer!”

Catra would have cackled at them if not for the dread that filled her being. What she was going to tell them next...well, it was safe to say Glimmer would be trying to throw more than a bottle at her head. 

“There’s more,” Catra piped up. 

Glimmer’s hand stopped mid throw, Bow hanging off her arm trying desperately to stop her. 

“More? W-what could be worse than Hordak having Adora and She-Ra’s sword?” Bow stuttered. 

Catra’s eyes flitted between the two before landing on the glass bottle. 

“Make her drop the bottle first.” 

Glimmer shook Bow off and stormed towards Catra, bottle flying out of her hand and shattering on the ground by Catra’s bare feet. 

“Just tell us what else you know before I get more than a glass bottle to throw at you,” Glimmer seethed, almost nose to nose with Catra now. 

Catra visibly gulped but stood her ground. Despite her wrong-doings, she would not allow Glimmer to get the upper hand on her. She had everything that Glimmer wanted to throw her way coming to her but that would have to wait until  _ after  _ they rescued Adora. 

“Hordak...he, uh,” Catra searched for the words, “He made Shadow Weaver erase...e-erase…”

Bow had obviously seen her struggling to find the words and was quick to pull Glimmer away to give her some breathing room. 

“Shadow Weaver erased what, Catra?”

Adora’s screams rose from the depths of her mind. Catra could practically feel Adora’s own pain rattle in her bones and it made her heart ache. Her hands slapped over her ears to try and drown away the sound. Panic filled her chest, squeezing with a merciless grip, threatening to drown her. Each breath pulled in less and less oxygen and her lungs burned painfully as they tried helplessly to expand. 

Catra could barely feel the hands on her shoulders, could barely hear the voices calling out to her. 

Her hands shook violently around her ears as Adora’s screams continued to tear through her mind. 

_ It’s your fault! _

_ Your. Fault. _

Catra’s mind cleared for the slightest of seconds, enough to allow her to grab a hold of Glimmer and gaze at her with terrified eyes. 

“I-It’s my f-fault,” Catra panicked, “S-Shadow Weaver...She e-erased Adora’s memories. I-I...that wasn’t supposed to happen. I t-tried to stop them.”

Tears blurred her vision of reality, Adora’s pain-filled expression bouncing in and out of view. 

“I-I tried,” Catra croaked, “But I couldn’t stop them and now...now A-Adora...she…”

The words froze on her tongue. 

Now Adora didn’t remember the rebellion. 

Didn’t remember Glimmer or Bow.

_ Adora didn’t remember Catra.  _

“Catra, look at me,” Glimmer’s surprisingly soothing voice was trying to guide her back. 

Wild eyes darted back to the shimmering purple ones in front of her. 

“Breath with me, okay? In and out.”

Catra focused on the steady rise and fall of Glimmer’s chest, desperately trying to mimic the movement herself. After a few hitched breaths, the burning in Catra’s lungs began to diminish as she pulled more oxygen in. The tears blurring Catra’s eyes quickly tried, giving way to the clear image of Glimmer worriedly staring at her. 

“There you go, Catra. Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Catra blushed, “Thanks.”

Glimmer nodded slowly, taking Catra’s hands from where they still dug into her shoulders and held them tightly in her lap. It was then that Catra was able to see the unshed tears in Glimmer’s eyes. 

“Catra, listen to me,” Glimmer murmured, “I’m  _ very  _ angry at you for taking Adora to Hordak. So angry that I’m using all my willpower to  _ not  _ crush your hands.” 

Every one of Catra’s instincts screamed at her to snatch her hands from Glimmer’s grasp, but she stayed still. 

Glimmer sighed heavily, “But I understand it was not your intention for Adora’s memories to be erased, and judging by your being here...and your reaction...that you weren’t part of the memories they left alone. Am I right?”

Catra could only nod as her throat constricted, tears gathering in her eyes once again. 

“That’s what I thought,” Glimmer whispered as she stood, “I guess that means  _ we  _ will have to figure out a way to rescue Adora and return her memories.”

Catra blinked away her tears, jaw dropping at the words she just heard. 

“T-That’s it? You’re going to help me? Just like that?”

Bow came to stand beside Glimmer, resting a hand on her shoulder and the other reaching out in front of him in offering to Catra. 

“Of course. Adora is our friend and we’ll do anything we can to help her,” Bow smiled as he pulled Catra to her feet. “Besides, Adora cares about  _ you _ . She’d be mad if we let you run off on your own to fight the Horde.”

Catra glanced between the two friends before letting her head hang low, eyes darting to her bare feet. Part of her wanted to be angry, to lash out and yell that she didn’t need the Rebellion’s help, but she knew that to be a lie. Catra knew there was no rescuing Adora without their help...otherwise she wouldn’t be in Bright Moon. 

So she listened to the other part of herself. The one that told her to be thankful, to accept the help they were offering, and to work alongside them in getting Adora back as soon as possible. 

And maybe...just maybe...after this was all over, Catra might just have a place in Bright Moon. 

_ Getting ahead of yourself, Catra. They won’t want you to stay. Once they have Adora back you’ll be nothing but a nuisance to them.  _

Catra pushed the thoughts away with a hiss. Nothing about her mattered right now. What mattered was rescuing Adora and finding a way to get her memories back. 

_ I want her away from Hordak, out of his grasp, even if we can’t restore her memories. I want her safe. Even if it means...even if it means she won’t remember me. Just as long as Adora is  _ **_safe_ ** _.  _

Catra’s hand tightened into a fist and felt something crumple against her palm. She opened her hand to find the picture Glimmer had snatched from her earlier. Glimmer must have been holding it when she grabbed Catra’s hands and left it behind when she pulled away. Catra found herself gazing at Adora’s laughing face once again, wishing nothing more than to see it in the flesh. 

_ Adora...we’re coming. We’re going to get you back. _

* * *

Adora was no stranger to a sleepless night. 

Through the years, she’d spent night after night training to be the best. To be good enough to catch the attention of Lord Hordak. And those years of sleepless nights  _ finally _ paid off. Here she was, second in command to her Lord and bringing Etheria to it’s very knees. 

And yet...everything felt wrong. 

Bandaged fists smacked against the worn leather of the punching bag in front of her, bare feet bouncing silently against the cold metal floors. Sweat coated her spine, making the cotton sleeping shirt cling to her like a second skin. Her knuckles ached with each hit and Adora knew the moment she removed the bandages they would be raw and coated in blood. 

Even with the exhaustion and pain consuming her body...she couldn’t rest. 

This night was not spent training to be the best or to improve where she thought she lacked. No. This night was spent trying to ignore the feelings that floated around in her chest. The feelings of  _ wrong  _ and  _ confusion _ and... _ sadness _ ?

With each passing second the feelings only seemed to grow and Adora punched and  _ punched  _ until the leather finally gave way. Adora watched, chest heaving with heavy breathes, as the sand that once filled the punching bag pooled around her feet. 

Ever since  _ that _ prisoner…

Adora’s breath hitched in her throat. 

There was something about the feline-like woman that made the feelings in Adora’s chest  _ stronger _ . Each thought that was about her fueled them, made them burn and twist in a way that Adora was sure she’d never felt before. 

As for why...Adora couldn’t figure out. 

There was nothing familiar about the woman, yet, at the same time,  _ everything _ about her was familiar. Everything about her seemed to call out to Adora. The way those mismatched eyes widened when she walked into the cell, the feeling of soft fur under her hands when Adora grabbed her arm, the way they fought each other. 

There was just so much  _ familiarity  _ and yet... _ nothing _ . 

There wasn’t even a name to her face.

Maybe she could ask one of the cadets. Maybe they could tell her why the prisoner seemed to know who she was. Why she had been so upset back in the cell when Adora didn’t recognize her. Someone here had to know who she was. She  _ was  _ part of the Horde at some point. 

Maybe Hordak would tell her. 

**_Your soul purpose is to serve Lord Hordak. You take commands from Lord Hordak and no one else. You will not stray from your commands._ **

A painful shudder raced up Adora’s spine.The booming voice continued to echo through her ears, making her head spin and her heart shutter with each syllable. 

**_You will serve your Lord._ **

Blue eyes darted around the deserted training room, making sure she was truly alone before reaching out to grab a hold of the destroyed punching bag. Ragged breaths tore through her lips as Adora tried to distract her mind from the voice in her head, but it was no use. The voice was too ingrained in her mind for her to even attempt to push it out. 

**_You will not stray from your commands. You will not be distracted._ **

And that’s what was happening now. 

Adora was becoming distracted. 

Distractions were not tolerated in the Horde. They were not tolerated by Lord Hordak. Distractions meant losing the upper-hand in battle. They meant  _ failure _ and Lord Hordak did not accept failure. And if Adora  _ failed  _ at anything commanded by Lord Hordak...the voice in her head would be the least of her problems. 

Adora seethed, jaw clenching painfully as she began punching and  _ punching  _ at the torn bag in front of her. Her knuckles burned and with each punch a new spot of blood was left on the demolished bag until it finally broke from its chain and smashed to the floor at her feet. 

She would no longer be distracted. 

She would focus on her main task, the one that needed to be  _ perfect  _ in two days time.

* * *

Adora entered Lord Hordak’s sanctum, standing tall and proud as the door slid shut behind her. From her position at the front of the room, Adora could see Lord Hordak standing near  _ someone _ with bright purple hair that seemed to be moving on it’s own. There was something familiar about it. The same familiarity she felt when she saw the pri--.

“Adora.”

Blue eyes tore away from the purple hair and landed on Lord Hordak who was gesturing for her to enter further into the sanctum. Adora marched forward before falling to one knee in front of Lord Hordak and bowing deeply. She could feel the red eyes burning holes along her skin and knew that Hordak was making sure she was in  _ perfect  _ condition. His top soldier could  _ not  _ be anything less than  _ perfect _ . 

“Why have you requested to be in my presence at such an hour?”

Adora lifted her head, eyes falling on the purple hair for a split moment before bouncing back to her Lord. 

“You requested that I inform you the moment I completed the plans that you entrusted me with, Lord Hordak.”

Hordak gazed down at her, eyebrows raising ever-so-slightly, “And?”

“They are ready, my Lord,” Adora finally stood, hands clasped behind her back and chest puffed out with pride. “Our attack on Bright Moon will take place in two days' time. They will not be expecting us.”

An evil smirk pulled at the corners of Hordak’s lips. 

“Well done, my second. And I am to assume that you will be on the front lines, correct?”

Adora nodded before pulling  _ the _ sword from its place on her back and presenting it to Lord Hordak. 

“You are correct, Lord Hordak.  _ She-Ra  _ will be leading the attack in your name and Bright Moon  _ will _ fall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested you can read my piece for the Fluff Bang [HERE!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25604782) I also worked with an artist for this piece and they did an AMAZING drawing that's linked at the end of the story! Be sure to check it out! 
> 
> So, I'm sure you're wondering what 'the voice' is that i mention with Adora. There will be more mentions on that in later chapters and you'll find out just what it is!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!! :)
> 
> Love to all! 
> 
> xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> This was so long I was originally going to post it as two chapters, but I didn't think the contents were enough to support two chapters without stopping and starting them in a weird spot. So I decided to give you all one long chapter! Future chapters may or may not be this long! Just a heads up! 
> 
> But please, let me know what you think in the comments below! I love feedback and it helps inspire me to write a little more! 
> 
> Love to all! :)
> 
> xoxo


End file.
